BMW's lightweight EV Car Review

Developed at a reported cost of over £2 billion, the i3 is also significant in that it forgoes front-wheel drive in favour of rear-wheel drive, just like BMW’s traditional combustion-engine models. The promise? An entertaining driving experience quite unlike any other series-production existing electric car.

On top of this, the i3 offers an impressive range of app-based services that allow you to network the car with various mobility solutions – including public transport networks – in a move aimed at easing transport requirements.
So, as well as appealing to the head, BMW hopes its first i branded model, which grew from an internal project known under the codename Mega City Vehicle, will also appeal to the heart. And in doing so, garner broader appeal than any battery-touting rival. Young, old, singles, family car buyers, environmentally conscious, enthusiast drivers, technology obsessed – BMW says it has attempted to appeal to all tastes and requirements.

For starters, the i3 looks very futuristic, with a concept car mimicking appearance quite unlike any other BMW model past or present. The form language is unique; the only real giveaway to its BMW roots being the kidney-shaped grille and the blue-and-white roundels it wears front and rear. It is relatively compact, running to 3999mm in length, 1775mm in width and 1578mm in height. However, the inclusion of 19-inch wheels shod with low rolling resistance 155/40 profile tyres as standard tend to make it appear bigger than what it really is. Like its larger sibling, the i3 makes heavy use of lightweight materials.

In this case, we're talking about plastics and carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP); the latter is used in the construction of the passenger shell and can be seen exposed around the vehicle's cabin. By using this strong, stiff material as its base, BMW keeps the i3's weight to 2,799 pounds. (Our range extender model tips the scale at 3,064 pounds thanks to its small gasoline engine, but we'll come back to that.)

For comparison, the Kia Soul EV, Ford Focus Electric and Nissan Leaf are all in the 3,300- to 3,700-pound range and the Fiat 500e tips the scales at 2,980 pounds. This means that the Bimmer is one of the lightest vehicles in its class; only the much smaller, two-seater Smart ForTwo EV weighs less at 2,138 pounds. Exotic materials and lightweight construction are also a big part of the reason that, at a starting price of $42,400 in the US, £25,680 in the UK and AU$63,900 in Australia, the BMW i3 is also one of the most expensive cars in its class. 

From the driver's seat, the i3 looks like it's worth the cost. With a multi tiered dashboard composed of wood, leather and exposed CFRP and a cabin that makes use of wool, leather and metal in its construction, the i3 doesn't just look like a premium car on the inside; it's almost a work of automotive art.

   

The dashboard sits low and there's plenty of glass to let in light, giving the i3's interior an airy feel and giving the driver a fairly unobstructed view of the road ahead and around. The i3 is a four-door with conventional front doors that mate with rear hinged coach doors that open to give access to the cabin. 

The seats are just as colorful as the rest of the cabin and feature optional heated surfaces. What's interesting about these buckets is that the seatbacks are about half as thin as those in a conventional BMW, which frees up knee space for rear-seat passengers. A flat floor and a high roofline also help to make room for two adults on the second row.

Electric drive and charging

Just behind the second row and below the i3's rear storage area is this car's main draw: a 125kW electric motor mated to a single-speed transmission sending power to the rear wheels. In regular car terms, that works out to 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. The car's low mass combined with the instant-on nature of electric torque makes this one quickly accelerating little compact.

BMW has also done a remarkable job of delivering almost perfectly silent acceleration, with none of the mechanical gear whine that you'll sometimes hear from electric power trains. The motor draws its juice from a 22kWh battery pack that, according to the EPA's estimates, will motivate the i3 for about 74 miles between recharges.

A full recharge will take about 5 hours on a Level 2 public charger or about 3.5 hours using BMW's i Charging Station (240V/7.4kW). The BMW i3 also includes a wall charger for occasional or emergency charging, but at 110V it'll take well over 12 hours to recharge by this method.

 Price £25,680 (including £5000 Government rebate); 0-62mph 7.2 sec; Top speed 93mph; Consumption 12.9kWh/100km; CO2 0g/km; Kerbweight1195kg; Engine synchronous electric motor; Installation rear, transverse;Power 168bhp; Torque 184lb ft; Gearbox automatic, fixed ratio; Battery/capacity lithium-ion, 22.0kwh.